“That’s right” said the headmaster, with a slight chuckle, “We have no homework till the fifth standard”

The magic of this uttered spell refused to take any major effect on me. Not because I couldn’t understand what the sentence meant, but because, in very plain words-I refused to believe it. My cerebellum cringed at this outrageous lie. This man was clearly well versed in the art of untruths. Naturally however I couldn’t accuse the general of this army of perjury without sufficient proof. So, I attempted putting myself together, regrouped and pressed this delicate matter further, “So they do it all in school?”

“Haha, no, young man. Schoolwork is just whatever happens in classes every day. After the day ends, we have absolutely no homework at all. A unique feature, in fact about our institute”

And like the dramatic plot of Sholay , it all came crashing down. Headmaster R.P Singh was no Gabbar Singh. He was a true Jai and Veeru rolled in one. I couldn’t be in India, because this was most definitely-Utopia. Here was a man who honestly believed in E-D-U-C-A-T-I-N-G children. Not making them hamsters for the big, cruel, world. My mind flashed back to the painful years of my primary education. It didn’t require much strain to remember the sadistic pleasure the entire staff back home derived in making us work like mules at home. As if school wasn’t enough! The many hours of tennis, TV, PlayStation and cricket I had sacrificed for the evils of mathematics, geography and history.

The Trinity school, Kullu however had shattered this age-old tradition haunting the Indian school child since the age of British themselves. It was taking things in its own hands. Here, I was finally getting to view a uniquely different administration system.

My name is Sumedh. This year, my destiny and a rather stern compulsory internship led me to Himachal. I’ve been working here in My Himachal as an intern for over three weeks, been meeting the most fascinating people and seeing the most unusual places. Like I was promised, here was another place willing to surprise me beyond what I had expected. Trinity school followed a completely unorthodox pattern of teaching.

For starters, I have already presented their no homework policy. For main course, I give you No-textbooks –at-home. What do I make of this: pure genius. School for studies, home for fun. The policy of the school is simple. To burden children in the primary classes with hours of work is inhuman, but how do we ensure that the parents don’t take matters in their own hands? We simply don’t allow them to grab the text-books. The parent is given a transparent view of what happens in class. But barring what is being taught, the child has no extra workload. Homework starts from the sixth grade onwards, and by then the child understands exactly how he should study, which would mean a very independent way of thinking.

On a personal note, it felt brilliant being back in school again. Just walking through the corridors reminded me of my own school. To top it all I had the glorious privilege of being the headmasters’ guest of honour. As a special treat, I even got to attend a lecture. I felt a vindictive pleasure as some of the kids called me ‘sir’. What took the cake was, when the class stood up to chant a loud chorus of ‘Good morning, Mr Natu’ to make me feel more welcome.

Three years back, if I would have opted to even enter half a toe-nail in a classroom when it wasn’t absolutely necessary, I would have been raised on a stake by my classmates. Needless to say, that would have also been a clear indication that I was mentally ill.

Now, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The topic of discussion was William Shakespeare and his eternal classic-As You Like It. I went back to MY tenth. I still remember the day I read Shakespeare for the first time and refused to accept that this strange language was English. I even laughed hysterically when I found out that people in the seventeenth century actually spoke that way. Today, in college, literature is my favourite subject. It makes one smile, what just a thousand days between school and college can do to a person. It seemed so strange that I was listening in rapt attention and the job of throwing paper balls in class, pinching the neighbour to pass off time, scribbling on the desk and making noises for absolutely no reason at all belonged to someone else. The headmaster was a fantastic teacher, no doubt. Being on the receiving end of a lecture was quite an honour.

My purpose of visiting the institution had been slightly different. A year back, My Himachal had enrolled three lucky children from Giyagi village through a scholarship program in Trinity. I personally wanted to interview them and find out how they were doing.

I think all three had a minor cardiac arrest at being summoned by the headmaster. After we were introduced, and I had assured them they had done nothing wrong, we talked for quite a while. All three seemed so simple. The very thought that they were actually in a place like Trinity seemed unbelievable to them. Just through those twenty minutes, I could see that they had adjusted to the place brilliantly since the past year.
Once victims of strict rural traditions, superstitions and even the caste system, all it had taken them was four-hundred days of a new environment to change the way they lived and thought.

Now all three were ardent Chennai Super Kings Supporters(I need to have a talk with the sports department), liked Himesh Reshamiya(I most definitely need to have a talk with the music department) and yet, were so different. Sangeeta wanted to be a doctor, Vinay-a scientist and Rakesh, a teacher.
English naturally had been a problem for them, but then, they were coping.

I asked them what they liked the most about the school, and all three voted unanimously. Saturday!!!
What was so special about Saturday? Well, the school keeps Saturdays only for extra-curriculars and no prep. Fun-day, they said.

It seems sad that we realize what a paradise school was only when we get out of it.
In college, it’s a matter of pride to declare how many subjects we’ve failed in. You study; it’s just not ‘cool’. I’d never think twice before demanding my mother to sign the backlog forms and declare the need for thousands of rupees to give in fines. If my mother asked me to study, I’d tell her to mind her own business and try and convince myself that she didn’t understand what college is like. We’d look for opportunities to bunk classes. A successful proxy equates to a bank robbery done ‘smooth’.

There’s a bloke in my batch with 99 per cent attendance. I’ve never been able to understand how he does it. To counter my inability to emulate his record, I’ve passed him off as a loser and kept it at that.

I guess I’m just one of those thousands who cannot understand how lucky I am to have my education served to me on a platter, complete with knives and forks. Maybe I never will.
And now that I think, I realize that maybe…and my apologies to those who feel offended by the liberal use of American four letter slang, that maybe it doesn’t require a pair of b*l*s to bunk classes whenever one feels like. Anyone and everyone can do that.
But it probably does require a very big pair of them to be able to attend those 99 out of the set 100 classes each year, especially when everyone around you loaths you for doing the right thing.

Maybe that’s the way the beer gets chugged…

Till next time…

The writer is an Intern with My Himachal from Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, Pune.

I pride on being the typical Indo-Brit-Yankee culture influenced teen. I, like many others my age love showing off the ‘I don’t give a damn about old traditions’ culture my generation has slowly acquired. Which means typically, to show that I’m ‘cool’, I have to parade around with heavy metal music blaring in my ears, jeans that just cannot hold on to my waste and a Jimmy Connors like perpetual swagger, to show off my utter contempt for anything thirty and above.

I don’t really fancy the look that I acquired just to make myself fit in, but it grows on oneself. Till the tenth and secretly even now, my honest choice to spending a day would be an R.K Narayan novel, a Satyajit Ray movie and a game of tennis as a cherry on top. Of course, I have to twist this choice to Playboy, American Pie and a night of immersing myself in alcohol to convince my lot that I’m worth associating with.

I don’t know why I chose Himachal as a place to complete my mandatory internship. I could have spent a month and a half wasting my life, and probably convinced myself that I took the right path by working in any Indian metropolis. I guess something in me gave me a kick while submitting my choices and a week after my exams, I was on my way to the north, a part of India I had never been in.

Well, it’s been a week and a half now. My first three days here, I admit, were unadulterated terror. The thought of being somewhere where canned juice is a novelty seems hard on any city boy. The fourth day however, I felt so brain clogged, that I decided to do what I used to on a regular basis earlier, go for a nice long jog. After 2 kilometers of panting, I stopped at the edge of the valley and looked down.

And I’ll be frank, it was a high I’ve never ever had before. All my worries, tensions from college, issues with girls, my biting conscience, all of them just dissolved into nothing. A river gushed in full flow down, unperturbed by everything around it. The thousands of trees surrounding me flanking its borders. Every breath of air I took in sent oxygen of a quality whose worth was unquotable. And I loved every moment of that moment. I sat down and just stared in space for an hour. Just thinking about what an idiot I had been for the past one year, and how I had let my identity run away. Being here for a month has given me that little chance at change, and I’m grateful.

I know I must sound dramatic, but there are things in life that no one can teach you, which you just figure out. In my case, I had to return to the most primal friend a human can have for advice-nature. I’m glad Himachal gave me that opportunity. In the week I have spent with My Himachal here, I have learnt a LOT.

I plan to write a lot about how much this state continues to make me think, about how different the culture of the people is, about how the nature here can give you an inferiority complex unlike any other and lastly but not the least, my experience with the varied work I’ve been doing with MH. I’ve never been this alone for a long time. I wish to give everyone my age(and everyone else who might consider by opinion a little something) my view on the impressions of this beautiful place, its people and its culture.

I’m not a particularly modest person, and I can pompously declare that I’ve travelled a lot over the world. I’ve seen all those places dear old Bollywood has advertised more than the tourism department of those countries itself, right from Switzerland to New-Zealand.

I’m not going to say Himchal is more beautiful, that would be unfair to Mother Nature.

But I can definitely say that for any person in the world, Himachal is by far, the most charming.

I’m a very social person. This feeling of loneliness makes me feel strangely sad….

But at the same time-content.

Till next time…

The writer is an Intern with My Himachal from Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, Pune.

This group has formed the Himachal wing in Muscat for the first time to promote their cultural heritage and awareness. The Himachal wing celebrated their foundation day on 15 April, 2010 and the Indian Social club recognized this wing in Oman. This was the first time ever in Muscat when Himachali’s stood united and shown their presence in Muscat, Oman. Now they want to be part of My Himachal and get involved with all their activities.

Last Date of application: February 15th, 2011

For an applicant to be eligible, the applicant must be a bona fide Himachali, currently enrolled in a HP Government School in any class from 8th – 10+2, and must have Fully Passed the lower qualifying class with at least 65% marks. The applicant’s family Annual Gross Income from All Sources as of financial year end on March 31 2010, must not exceed Rs. 55,000.

My Himachal HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils’ Education) Scholarships were introduced in the year 2008 and are designed to help deserving bona fide Himachali students, who are financially challenged, but have the dreams and drive to further their education, on Merit-cum-Means basis. The scholarships are awarded annually and fresh applications are invited each year. This is one of the initiatives by My Himachal to enable the people and the state of Himachal Pradesh prosper.

Application Form and Program details are available for download in Hindi and English.

Our goal for the academic year 2010-11 is to maximize the number of students that we can support on Merit-cum-Means basis, via HOPE Scholarships and pay for their School fees, books and School uniforms.

• Raise at least Rs 2, 00, 000/- for academic session 2010-11.
• Support at least 55 students from 8th class up to 12th class.
• Maximize grant amount per student, to cover most of education expense

For the year 2009, we received over 108 applications, but were able to reachout to only 40 of the applicants, due to limited funds.

Your Generous donation will be greatly appreciated!!!

You can help by donating online (Paypal or Facebook), or by mail (Check, Money Order, Demand Draft) in favor of “My Himachal”.

My Himachal members and subscribers residing in Himachal, are urged to download & print copies of these forms, visit their local schools and make representations to the respective school principals and contacts to encourage them to make as many copies of these and distribute them amongst the students who may wish to apply for the scholarship this year.

My Himachal members residing outside Himachal, can send these forms to their relatives and contacts in Himachal to help us reach out to students who may need financial assistance for education.

Please feel free to contact Disha Singh via e-mail, should you experience any issues with downloading applications form(s) or have questions regarding the My Himachal HOPE Scholarships.

Best Regards,

Kunjana Thakur
Secretary – Public Relations and Member Services
My Himachal

Thirty-five NGOs were on the 2010 Founders’ Honor Roll for demonstrating their commitment to lead positive social change around the world. A benefit dinner for PCI’s 50th Anniversary was held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on November 6, 2010.

The event also gave Honor Roll members of the NGOs a chance to discuss their work.

Stevens spoke with Dr. Kwaku Yeboah, PCI Vice President for HIV/AIDS Programming Development, about issues of AIDs in rural communities.

He also met with V.S. Gurumani, PCI India Country Director, to discuss PCI programs in India and My Himachal’s Water Recharge Project in the Upper Seraj Valley.

My Himachal and Stevens were also given this award in 2008.

Stevens also was invited to participate in the Social Entrepreneurship Forum on October 7, 2010 at the University of California, San Diego sponsored by Askhoka Innovators for the Public, Qualcomm, and The Gem Foundation.

The half-day event gave students from the San Diego area an opportunity to work together with business and social entrepreneurs from many sectors and fields of work. 50 students joined 50 social entrepreneurs and 50 business leaders at the Forum, to discuss innovation across traditional boundaries.

Students from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), San Diego State University (SDSU), the University of San Diego (USD), and local high-schools participated.

Diwali, a festival of lights and colors, symbolizes victory of Good over Evil. It’s the time to rejoice with family and loved ones. We all pray to the Almighty for happiness and prosperity in our lives. This is also the occasion, to share happiness with gifts and sweets.

My Himachal team has resolved to spread the same festive spirit to those himachali kids, who are not so privileged, through its various initiatives. Many of these bright and talented students need help from each one of us.

On this auspicious occasion, we launch HOPE Scholarships for 2010 such students and request each of you to help us brighten the lives of these kids. We encourage you to participate either through your donations or taking up an active role in improving My Himachal and its initiatives.

Please show your support via Donations for our HOPE Scholarship & other programs.

Visit us at : www.myhimachal.com and Click on Donate link on top right hand side.